Confections of a Foodie Bride » Freezer Friendlyhttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride
Food and love, the real spices of lifeFri, 27 Mar 2015 16:10:39 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1The Perfect Lime for The Perfect Margaritahttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/18134
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/18134#commentsSun, 27 Apr 2014 15:01:09 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=18134This, my friends, is liquid gold. Pure liquid gold. One post-preschool-drop-off morning last week, I spent the better part of two hours driving around west Houston scouting the price of limes. Grocery stores roll their weekly prices on Wednesdays and with our annual Tequila & Taquitos Bash approaching, I needed to find the most affordable […]]]>

This, my friends, is liquid gold. Pure liquid gold.

One post-preschool-drop-off morning last week, I spent the better part of two hours driving around west Houston scouting the price of limes. Grocery stores roll their weekly prices on Wednesdays and with our annual Tequila & Taquitos Bash approaching, I needed to find the most affordable source for limes.

My first stop?

NOPE. I’ve never paid more than .20/lime. Ever. And in recent months, I’ve actually been completely spoiled with .10 limes.

Although I did watch in complete wonder (horror? envy?) as a woman loaded 10 limes into a bag without so much as batting a (totally fake) eyelash and moved on. As in, $6.90. For 10 limes.

I needed 230 limes. As in ~$160. In just limes. So not gonna happen.

The rest of my stops were met with only slightly less budget-breaking prices: .44-.45. And then I rolled into my last stop, found .25 limes, and began the tedious process of digging through the bins looking for The Perfect Lime.

The Perfect Lime
Not only are limes expensive these days thanks to the basic economic principle of supply, demand, and entprenurial drug-cartel hijacking, they also aren’t very good quality. More than 75% of that bin was full of hard, under-ripe limes.

Hard under-ripe limes do not a good margarita make. Or a good anything else.

I look for smooth limes that give quite a bit when you squeeze them – because those softer, squishier limes? They’re ripe. Full of easy-to-extract lime juice. Full of easy-to-extract future margarita. Totally worth the [gulp] .25 each.

I also prefer the rounder limes – my juicer sometimes balks at the more football-shaped limes. And when I’m going to juice 230 limes over the course of 4 days, I prefer fewer problems and interruptions.

So you’ve hoarded limes for LimeMageddon. Now you are ready to juice and freeze.

The Perfect Lime Juicer
It’s any appliance that plugs into a wall and makes juicing 230 limes go as quick and as painless as possible. We have a 5-year-old Breville Citrus Press. (Sigh. I really do miss the DINK days.) It’s insanely heavy duty and has seen literally thousands of citrus halves over the years, from tiny key limes to the gigantigrapefruit from the RGV… and even pomegranates! Pull lever, count to 3, discard peel. Repeat. 229 more times.

And when the very sad day comes and the Breville isn’t repairable for less than $25, we’ll buy the Applica Citrus Juicer.

The Perfect Lime Margarita
Just say no to the neon green mix from a the bottle. Just say no to pre-bottled, pasteurized lime juice. Just say no – and give major side eye – to cutting your perfect lime margarita with lemon juice. (No, it’s not the same.) (Yes, everyone will be able to tell.)

If you want to drink the perfect margarita, you have to go fresh. Lime juice, water, sugar/sweetener, tequila, orange liqueur and maybe a rim of salt. That’s it. No preservatives, no food coloring, no fakesies anything.

The Perfect Lime Juice Storage
Any freezer food-storage option will do, but if you’re going to be measuring your liquid gold lime juice stash in quarts (or gallons!), I cannot recommend these 32 oz storage containers enough. Food safe, secure seal, and they hold 3.5 cups of lime juice (with headroom for freezing). I have 6 of them in my freezer right now – that’s 21 cups – with 75 limes left to juice.

To use the lime juice, I put the frozen container in a sink of water deep enough to come up 3/4 the side of the container and let it thaw. I use what I need and if I won’t be using 3.5 cups of lime juice in the next few days (it happens… sometimes), I simply refreeze the juice.

Now you’re ready to hit the market and sort through the windfall of Lime Suckage to get the most margarita for your buck. So ladies and gentleman, start your hoarding!

]]>http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/18134/feed13King Ranch Chicken Casserolehttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/17154
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/17154#commentsFri, 08 Nov 2013 22:39:31 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=17154That is King Ranch Chicken Casserole. And it’s Texas’ contribution to the category of amorphous, 50-Shades-of-Brown, one-dish comfort foods that taste far, far better than they look. But I’m not doing it justice. To describe King Ranch Chicken a little more favorably – and in a manner totally worthy of that warm bowl of comfort […]]]>

That is King Ranch Chicken Casserole. And it’s Texas’ contribution to the category of amorphous, 50-Shades-of-Brown, one-dish comfort foods that taste far, far better than they look.

But I’m not doing it justice.

To describe King Ranch Chicken a little more favorably – and in a manner totally worthy of that warm bowl of comfort that’s perfect for a chilly Texas fall night – think of it as a cross between a TexMex lasagna that’s made with tortillas rather than pasta and a chicken pot pie that’s lighter on the vegetables and sports a topping of corn tortillas and golden brown and bubbly cheese rather than a flakey pie crust.

Absent in this casserole are the much-maligned cream-of soups. If you want to use them, you can. But making the homemade cream-of soup that serves as the base for King Ranch Chicken is only slightly more work than cranking open a couple of cans with a manual opener. And you get to take a pass on all those 15-letter ingredients and the extra sodium.

Present in this casserole is a generous dose of green chiles for mild warmth and a mountain of shredded cheese to contribute to that oozy, melty, and magical amorphous blob.

Did I do it justice that time? Good. Now get out your grocery list and let’s get to work.

Put it on your menu for a stretch of cold nights this winter when your schedule would high-five your for 2 nights of scoop-and-reheat leftovers. Put it on your menu for a week when store-roasted rotisseries go on sale. Put it on your menu to crush those Thanksgiving dark-meat turkey leftovers.

Either way. You’re gonna want to put it on your menu soon.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

The ultimate in Texas comfort food, this casserole is made with homemade cream of chicken sauce and corn tortillas.

Notes

]]>http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/17154/feed16DIY: Frozen French Bread Pizzashttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/15299
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/15299#commentsMon, 11 Mar 2013 16:03:39 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=15299Before The Little was born, I went impressively overboard on a stock-the-freezer mission. It was part hoarding, part planning-for-the-apocalypse but I just knew I’d never ever have the time or energy to prep dinner again for the next 5+ years. I wasn’t completely wrong. Most of it was your standard fare (enchiladas, pasta, soups, pizza […]]]>

Before The Little was born, I went impressively overboard on a stock-the-freezer mission. It was part hoarding, part planning-for-the-apocalypse but I just knew I’d never ever have the time or energy to prep dinner again for the next 5+ years.

I wasn’t completely wrong.

Most of it was your standard fare (enchiladas, pasta, soups, pizza dough, muffins, pulled pork, etc) – anything to help us feel like we had the ease of shopping in the freezer section for every meal without the calories, unpronounceable ingredients, and sodium bombs that actually come with shopping in the freezer section for every meal.

One of those “quick dinner” nights has resurfaced to become a favorite lately: Freezer French Bread Pizzas. Or as The Little refers to it, “pizza – but not circle pizza, I want long pizza.”

Even quicker than homemade personal frozen pizzas, this one starts with a loaf of bread that someone else made. Then you bake the bread for a few minutes, top with your favorite freezer-friendly pizza toppings (no fresh tomatoes – wait ’til later for those), and freeze. My current favorite pizza: the pepperoni and hatch chile. Still.

When you’re read to eat, pop them back into the oven, adding any fresh ingredients (tomatoes go here!), and then enjoy your “long pizza” for dinner!

Ingredients

Instructions

Place cut bread on a baking sheet (use a knife to cut and create a flat spot on the bottom of any bread piece that's wobbly).

Lightly spray or brush the cut surface of the bread with olive oil and bake 7-8 minutes, until crispy and golden (but not overly browned).

Remove from oven and let cool.

Top with marinara, cheese, and freezer-friendly toppings like pepperoni, roasted peppers, etc. Save things like fresh tomatoes for topping just before and fresh basil or arugula for just after baking).

Place back on the baking sheet and put in the freezer until frozen solid, 1-2 hours.

Transfer the frozen pizzas to gallon zipper bags and freeze.

To cook, preheat the oven to 425 and bake 12-15 minutes, until the edges of the pizza are very brown and the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Notes

]]>http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/15299/feed10Maple Bacon Biscuitshttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/14905
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/14905#commentsSun, 30 Dec 2012 06:01:15 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=14905I’m ready for 2013. Like ready ready. I stepped onto the bathroom scale this morning and it said “error.” It’s such a jerk sometimes. Like when it randomly tells me I weigh 10lbs less than I did the day before… and then 6lbs more 8 seconds later. But it does have a point. So all […]]]>

I’m ready for 2013. Like ready ready. I stepped onto the bathroom scale this morning and it said “error.” It’s such a jerk sometimes. Like when it randomly tells me I weigh 10lbs less than I did the day before… and then 6lbs more 8 seconds later. But it does have a point.

So all of those wonderful Trade Joe’s goodies that Santa left in our stocking have an “Eat before Monday or get hidden on the top shelf that you can’t reach without getting a chair from the dining room – and we both know you’re far too lazy to go get a chair from the dining room” label on them and the pages of my new Cooking Light Cookbook are littered with post it tab bookmarks.

And Trader Joe’s Sweet-Salty-Nutty Trek Mix that is like crack. Certifiable crack.

On a quiet Saturday morning when the not-so-little-anymore one is at Gia & PaPaw’s house for the weekend, we sat down to a quick & simple breakfast of peppery Maple Bacon Biscuits, eggs, and some grapefruit juice.

Crumbly, airy biscuits made with bacon grease and sweetened with maple syrup. And it was the first recipe I made from my new Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Flipping through it for the first time, I spotted them on page 28. And then I ran to the kitchen to make them immediately.

And then I immediately ate two straight out of the oven, mostly in celebration that the first recipe from a new cookbook turned out to be such a huge homerun. And partly because it was 4:30pm and that’s when I kick myself every single day for not having a snack an hour earlier.

I added a healthy dose of black pepper to help balance the sweet & savory just enough to almost make them a meal in itself. (“Almost,” like eating 2 biscuits wasn’t all of the calories I had left for dinner the other day.) I also made a double batch to be able to make the biscuits bigger than the 2-inch originals. And just a note – the dough was softer than expected for the double batch and I ended up kneading in a bit more flour after cutting the first few biscuits and realizing that they would spread quite a bit (and they did). The “extra flour” biscuits baked up nicely.

Maple Bacon Biscuits

Make breakfast really count with these sweet, crumbly biscuits studded with crispy bacon and black pepper.

You want 12 Tbsp total between the butter and the grease reserved from cooking the bacon. If you end up with more bacon grease than 4 Tbsp, you can reduce the butter accordingly. And if you end up with less bacon grease, you can use more butter. Make sense? Good. Let's get started.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425.

Fry the bacon until crisp and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

Turn off the heat and add several generous dashes/grinds of black pepper to the pan and stir, letting the pepper cook for ~10 seconds.

Pour the rendered bacon grease and pepper (scrape the peppery bits out if necessary) into a heat-safe measuring cup and stick it in the freezer to solidify.

Chop the bacon into chunks and transfer to a small bowl, pouring the maple syrup over top.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and add the butter chunks and the bacon grease (use a spoon to scrape out the measuring cup).

Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut the butter and bacon grease into the dry ingredients until well mixed (no large chunks) and the mixture is mealy.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk and maple-bacon mixture and stir/fold until your dough forms.

Turn your dough onto a generously floured surfaced and give it a few kneads to come together and then pat it to 1-inch thick .

Using a floured round cutter, cut as many rounds as you can and then pat the dough back together and repeat until the dough is gone - I got 10 biscuits using a 2.75-inch cutter.

Place biscuits on a lined baking sheet (sides just barely touching) and bake 12-14 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Serve warm. Leftovers reheated nicely for the 2-3 days they stuck around.

Notes

Yields: 10 biscuits

Slightly adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Estimated time: 35 minutes

]]>http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/14905/feed18Baked Chipotle Ranch Chicken Taquitoshttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/13785
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/13785#commentsWed, 10 Oct 2012 15:41:54 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=13785What do you call these? In most of the restaurants that we frequent here in southeast Texas, they’re called “flautas” and might be made with either corn or flour tortillas. On the freezer aisle, they’re called “taquitos” and I’ve only seen them made with corn tortillas. The internet seems to loves “taquito.” Whatever you call […]]]>

What do you call these?

In most of the restaurants that we frequent here in southeast Texas, they’re called “flautas” and might be made with either corn or flour tortillas. On the freezer aisle, they’re called “taquitos” and I’ve only seen them made with corn tortillas. The internet seems to loves “taquito.”

Whatever you call them, they’re absolutely one of those convenience foods that are infinitely better when homemade.

We usually make flautas (taquitos) with leftover pulled pork, some chopped onion, and a little cheese – nothing else – and then dunk them into some Chuy’s-inspired Creamy Jalapeno Ranch or barbecue sauce (we have clearly-drawn battle lines in this house). This time, we put the ranch in the flautas.

You’ve probably seen the base for this recipe somewhere. It’s quite popular, having been made by some of myfavoritebloggers. Our version uses a homemade Chipotle Ranch Dressing instead of salsa. The chipotle ranch is killer as a dipper for sweet potato fries and it’s even better here.

I doubled the recipe (big batch shown below) to make sure that we have plenty of good football eats on hand for the weekends, and ended up with nearly quadruple the taquitos (flautas) because I used the smallest tortillas I could find (~5 inches). And instead of individually wrapping each flauta (taquito) destined for the freezer (no way), I just bagged them up in 2 large freezer bags after freezing solid on baking sheets. Nothing stuck together and I didn’t waste a ton of plastic wrap.

I also did an even split between corn and flour. Corn tortillas get crispier in the oven but I prefer the taste and texture of flour tortillas much more (another southeast Texas thing). And they’re a lot easier to work with, though I have to confess – I only had 1 corn tortilla tear on me this time. My failure rate is usually much, much higher. Like near slamming cabinet doors and expletive levels.

Notes

]]>http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/13785/feed24Cherry Chocolate Chunk Muffinshttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/12893
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/12893#commentsMon, 09 Jul 2012 06:01:44 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=12893There are 10lbs of fresh, pitted cherries in my freezer right now – they probably won’t still be there when that cherry margarita craving hits in November, but I do plan to stretch cherry season out as long as I can this year! We’ve managed to work cherries into dinner, dessert, and most importantly: margaritas. […]]]>

There are 10lbs of fresh, pitted cherries in my freezer right now – they probably won’t still be there when that cherry margarita craving hits in November, but I do plan to stretch cherry season out as long as I can this year!

I took my very favorite stripped-down basic muffin recipe – it’s moist, reliable, and bakes up a beautifully domed top every single time – and converted it to a dark, chocolatey muffin loaded with fresh cherries chunks and chocolate chunks.

And it was sweet, rich, and decadent. Exactly like dessert-for-breakfast should be.

Instructions

Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition followed by the vanilla extract.

Beat in half of dry ingredients, followed by a third of the yogurt.

Add remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, until incorporated.

Toss cherries and chopped chocolate with the remaining 1 Tbsp flour and add to the mixer, mixing for just a few more seconds to distribute evenly (the batter will be very, very thick).

Divide the batter evenly among cups, using a large cookie scoop (my scoop is ~2.25 inches across).

Bake for 8 minutes and then decrease oven temperature to 375 and bake for ~8-10 more minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached (you might get melted chocolate but that's fine).

Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling completely.

Will keep ~3 days in a covered cake plate, can be frozen in zip-top freezer bags.

Notes

Yields: ~18 muffins

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated Blueberry Muffins

Estimated time: 45 minutes

]]>http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/12893/feed11PPQ: Texas Tortilla Souphttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/10271
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/10271#commentsMon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:53 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=10271Amanda chose this week’s Project Pastry Queen challenge: Texas Tortilla Soup. I was super happy to put this on the menu this week. One, our oven is broken (waaah!) and that has really messed with my mind. And our menu. Second, I’ve posted the soup before and it was in dire need of a new […]]]>

I was super happy to put this on the menu this week. One, our oven is broken (waaah!) and that has really messed with my mind. And our menu. Second, I’ve posted the soup before and it was in dire need of a new photo. But really, it’s because the soup is freakin’ awesome.

The Pastry Queen’s Texas Tortilla Soup has been our go-to chicken tortilla soup recipe for the last 5 years. It’s broth-based, so it’s the rare Mexican food dish that won’t kill you with fat, calories, and sodium. But what really sets it apart from your average tortilla soup is that the body of the soup is built with roasted tomatoes.

Slow-roasting (or fast… depending on how much time you have) the tomatoes removes the excess water, concentrates the flavors, and caramelizes some of the sugars in the tomatoes. The tomatoes are then pureed and added to the broth. The resulting soup has far deeper flavors than the soup from your favorite Mexican restaurant. And topped with a little avocado, chopped onions, cilantro, and jalapenos, and a dollup of fat-free Greek yogurt, it’s wonderfully filling with far fewer calories than the Mexican restaurant soup.

Um, did I mention it’s good for you?

This is one of those great meals that you can make on Sunday and not worry about making dinner again until Wednesday. And it freezes beautifully. One batch feeds us for 3 nights. We usually split a grilled cheese sandwich to go along with it, made with one of those small $.50 bakery baguettes, a couple slices of avocado, and shredded monterrey jack.

Thanks to Amanda for getting my husband so excited about going to the grocery store this week! You can check out the full recipe here and the other PPQ members’ take on the soup here.

I’ve made these muffins a hundred times. Quite possibly literally 100 times. It’s my go-to cornbread/corn muffin recipe for good reason – it’s perfectly sweet and super moist. It’s also a very non-fussy recipe. I throw everything into the mixer bowl before turning it on to mix until just combined. That’s it.

I almost never make them the same way twice. The batch for this week’s challenge was flavored with roasted corn, a large roasted jalapeno (that was Seventh Circle of Hell hot), and a pile of shaved Parmesan.

Madeleines – Regular or loaded with other ingredients, baking the batter in a madeleine pan makes them “fancy.”

Roasted (pictured) – During the summer, we eat lots of grilled corn on the cob. I like to throw a large jalapeno and an an extra cob on the grill specifically for muffins the next night. Simply cut the charred kernels off the cob and add it to the batter. For the jalapeno, grill until black/blistered. Place in a small bowl covered with plastic wrap and let cool. The skin will peel off easily. Remove the seeds and stem, chop to desired size, and throw in the batter.

Italianized – Sundried tomatoes, shaved parmesan, and leftover grilled corn on the cob that has been slathered with this Basil-parm-Garlic butter.

Fats – I don’t always use heavy cream. Sour cream, greek yogurt, and my favorite – buttermilk (which I used this week) – sub really well for the heavy cream.

Thanks to Amanda for picking such a great recipe! Be sure to check out the Project Pastry Queen blogroll for other Rather Rich Corn Muffins. And stay tuned for next week when the group tackles Texas Big Hair Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Tarts, as chose by Joelen.

]]>http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/2040/feed4Soy Lime Pork Tenderloinhttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/1631
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/1631#commentsWed, 07 Jul 2010 10:33:38 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=1631There was a time when “grilling” meant one of two things: Dinner was at my parents’ house and Dad was cooking burgers or chicken, or I was plugging in a little counter top appliance endorsed by a former pro heavyweight boxer in my apartment. I was scared of the real deal and used to leave […]]]>

There was a time when “grilling” meant one of two things: Dinner was at my parents’ house and Dad was cooking burgers or chicken, or I was plugging in a little counter top appliance endorsed by a former pro heavyweight boxer in my apartment. I was scared of the real deal and used to leave the “real” grilling to my husband. But in the last few years, I’ve figured out how to cook more than burgers on the grill. Take this pork tenderloin – something that, just a few of years ago, I would have never thought to slap on a grill.

But can I tell you how much I love this recipe? The marinade is absolutely delicious – it’s part sweet, part salty, part sour, and because I routinely double-up on red pepper flakes, it’s also part spicy. It marinates overnight, so it’s ideal to freeze. Back during FoodieBaby Prep ’09, I froze a few tenderloins in large freezer bags with the marinade so it could marinate while it thawed.

For the record, I’m a gas girl. And probably a complete disappointment to my father

Soy Lime Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin marinated in a sweet-salty-sour mixture and grilled.

Ingredients

2 limes, juiced

2 Tbsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin

Instructions

Add marinade ingredients to a large zip top bag and squeeze to mix.

Add tenderloin to bag and rotate/shake to coat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferable overnight (you can also freeze here).

Notes

]]>http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/1631/feed11Levain Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookieshttp://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/1251
http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/1251#commentsSun, 14 Mar 2010 18:53:15 +0000http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=1251All good cookies start out the same: as good cookie dough. My husband prefers his cookies as “pre-cookies” – cold and uncooked lumps of dough straight from the mixer bowl while dodging my dough scoop. And growing up? So did my siblings and I. There was no fighting over who would get to lick the […]]]>

All good cookies start out the same: as good cookie dough.

My husband prefers his cookies as “pre-cookies” – cold and uncooked lumps of dough straight from the mixer bowl while dodging my dough scoop. And growing up? So did my siblings and I. There was no fighting over who would get to lick the beaters in our house. No, sir! Two beaters, one rubber spatula, and a mixing bowl. 4 batter-covered items, 4 kids. Something tells me my mom knew exactly the kind of mess she was avoiding when she baked.

Dawn from Vanilla Sugar whipped up a batch of Levain Bakery-like chocolate chip cookies, that upon seeing in my Google Reader, I decided that I had to make them. Like now. You shape the dough into 4 ounce balls? Quarter-pounder cookies? 5 inches across and over an inch thick? Now that’s a cookie. (Disclaimer: I’ve never had real-deal Levain Bakery cookies.)

I immediately dumped the Foodie Baby in my husband’s lap and ran for the kitchen. And when she’s old enough to have one of these cookies, she’ll understand. And if she’s really my kid, she’ll approve These cookies are puffy and gigantic, over an inch thick – closer to two! And I can’t tell you how long they keep their tender, puffy goodness… they don’t last very long around here. They are definitely replacing the old house favorite.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Beat the cold butter and both sugars until just combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the mixer bowl and mix just until blended. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until distributed. (The dough will be VERY stiff at this point.)

Divide the dough into 12 balls, approx 4 oz each (think a little larger than a golf ball; a slightly rounded 2.5-inch scoop will do the trick perfectly) and place on an ungreased baking pan.

Chill the dough for 20 minutes. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until browned on the edges and set in the center.

Let cool completely on the pans before transferring to airtight storage.